Strategic Planning
Strategic planning, which often involves looking three to five years into the future, is critical if an organization is to take advantage of opportunities when they arise.
Impact of Government Policy and Social Issues on Productivity
Because productivity tends to be a national issue, there's an ongoing debate about what role government should play. Clearly, government policies in areas such as interest rates, taxation, capital investment and tariffs have a major impact on produc...
Increasing Operational Efficiency
Whether they manufacture a physical product or provide a service, all companies have similar needs for efficiency in operations. This applies to scheduling, inventory, organizing employees, quality and productivity. More and more companies are using...
Divisional Structure
One type of organizational structure, known as divisional structure, tends to encourage decentralization of authority. It can be organized around products, geography or types of customers.
Pushing Decision Making Down Through An Organization
There are several reasons for pushing decision making down through an organization. Often those at lower levels have more knowledge about the customer or product. Putting more decisions into the hands of lower level employees can also boost morale a...
Need for Strategic Planning, The
Because the level of economic competition has significantly increased in recent years, the need for effective strategic planning has likewise intensified. The essence of strategic planning for any organization is determining where it wants to be at ...
Conflict Resolution Strategies
An increasing number of organizations are setting up formal systems to enable people to bring their conflicts into the open and to prevent tension from building beneath the surface. An open and direct approach which encourages communication between ...
Origins of Total Quality Management
The origins of the Total Quality Management philosophy can be traced back more than half a century to the work of W. Edwards Deming. In working with Japanese engineers and scientists to rebuild Japan's industrial capacity following World War Two, De...
Organizational Structure
Organizing, as the word suggests, is the phase of management that defines the structure of an organization. It lays out a set of parts and coordinates efforts to achieve goals developed in the planning phase. In practice, however, many organizations...
Influence, Power and Authority
Authority is one form of power. Often called "legitimate" power, authority is a formal part of any organization. It is allocated to individuals according to their position in the organization. Because each individual can only do so much personally, ...